Korver goes quiet, but Bulls remain confident
Kyle Korver started the postseason by hitting 17 of 30 shots from 3-point range, but he hasn't knocked down any in the last two games.
Korver went 0-for-5 from long range in the Game 4 loss in Atlanta, then played just four minutes in Game 5 without attempting any shots. The defensive matchups haven't always worked in Korver's favor against the Hawks, but coach Tom Thibodeau hasn't lost confidence.
“Kyle on the floor creates space. Nobody leaves him,” he said. “We're extremely confident. This guy has proved what he can do. He's been a clutch fourth-quarter player for us all year long, so we don't want him to change anything. The way he compliments both Carlos (Boozer) and Derrick (Rose), it's important to have him out there.”
Hawks have hope:The Hawks refused to concede defeat following Tuesday's Game 5 loss at the United Center. Their season will be over if they can't pull out a win in Atlanta on Thursday.#8220;The series is not over,#8221; Josh Smith said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. #8220;We have to go in and play with a ton of energy on Thursday. We have to do a better job keeping Derrick Rose out of our paint. If we do that, we should be coming back here for a Game 7.#8221;#8220;We've got to protect our home court,#8221; center Zaza Pachulia said. #8220;We've still got a chance. It was still close game. We just have to think about playing the right way for 48 minutes.#8221;Planning the schedule:Miami beating Boston on Wednesday means the Bulls definitely will play a home game Sunday night, starting at 7 p.m., on TNT.If the Bulls lose in Atlanta, they'll play Game 7 against the Hawks on Sunday. If the Bulls beat the Hawks in Game 6, then they'll host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday against the Heat.Should the Bulls beat the Hawks in seven games, the East finals will open Wednesday in Chicago. Oprah Winfrey has booked the United Center on Tuesday to tape her final episode.Light contact:Coach Tom Thibodeau brushed off Carlos Boozer's elbow to Josh Smith's chin in Game 5.#8220;From what I saw, nothing happened,#8221; he said. #8220;It's playoff basketball. Guys are going to get tangled up. There's going to be stuff like that happen. It's part of the game. Both teams were playing hard.#8221;Smith was coming down from a dunk when Boozer stuck his arm out and made contact. Smith responded by shoving Boozer in the back, and both players were given technical fouls. The league office took no action.Bull horns:The Bulls skipped practice Wednesday. They haven't taken any days off during the first two rounds of the playoffs, other than two days of rest after disposing of Indiana. #8220;Just the way everything unfolded, the travel, I just thought it was better to get some rest,#8221; coach Tom Thibodeau explained. #8230; The sharpest trend of the regular season has continued in the playoffs. Including Game 5, the Bulls are 31-2 when guard Keith Bogans scores at least 6 points.